"Sister-in-law, you’re my real sister-in-law—please don’t call me ‘brother’."

"No, Brother Dong. Once I call you ‘brother,’ you’ll be my brother for life."

I put on an innocent smile and batted my eyes as I spoke. Spending every day with Yejia Yin, this secretly mischievous girl, had made me develop a taste for mischief too. Watching Lin Dong struggle to explain with a pained expression filled me with delight.

"No, no, no, sister-in-law—you’re too kind."

"No, no, no, Brother Dong—you’re too modest."

"..."

Lin Dong and I bickered like children, while Yejia Yin ignored us completely. She simply took out her chopsticks and started eating on her own. We exchanged an awkward smile, realizing this nonsense was pointless. We stopped and began a proper conversation.

"When did you arrive, Brother Dong?"

Since Lin Dong was much older—I’d learned from our earlier chats he was 23—I had to call him "brother" no matter what.

"Just arrived at noon. What about you, sister-in-law?"

This back-and-forth of "brother" and "sister-in-law" felt really weird.

"We also got here around noon. Wait—noon?" I studied his familiar face again and finally remembered. "I think I saw you and your group at the train station. Wasn’t there a huge crowd around you?"

Back then, I’d silently criticized them for being unprofessional and lacking stealth. They didn’t look formidable at all, so I thought Yejia Yin had nothing to worry about. Little did I know—they weren’t enemies but allies.

Well, if they’re allies, such incompetent ones are definitely worrying...

Unaware I’d been scorning him internally, Lin Dong chewed stir-fried pork kidneys and asked, "Oh? Sister-in-law saw me?"

"Mhm, mhm," I blurted without thinking, "I went to the restroom at the train station at noon and spotted you, Brother Dong."

An eerie silence fell. Lin Dong stopped chewing, glancing between me and his chopsticks. He forced a strained smile and whispered,

"Um, sister-in-law... which restroom did you use—the men’s or women’s?"

This question felt serious. My hands froze. I looked up, trying not to seem too embarrassed. "Of course, the men’s."

Clatter! His chopsticks slipped to the floor. He bent down awkwardly to pick them up. I stood, concerned. "You okay, Brother Dong?"

"No, no—I’m fine." He looked up with a sheepish grin. "Just my illusions shattering."

What do you mean "just"? That sounded awful!

"Everyone’s been saying Boss Ye’s marrying a wife as beautiful as a fairy," Lin Dong continued with a hopeless expression, "brilliant, gentle, virtuous, well-mannered, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, painting—"

What ancient drama heroine nonsense! And stop—that last part isn’t even an adjective!

"But now I see the truth," he sighed. "First, you present yourself as a boy."

I can’t help that—it’s beyond my control.

"Then you’re all chummy with a stranger you just met."

You were the one who approached me first!

"You don’t have that ethereal aura at meals. You grab food with your chopsticks like it’ll vanish."

You kept stealing my Mapo tofu! I had no choice!

"And you used the public men’s restroom."

This... I had no reply.

Yejia Yin shot us a cold glance. "Eat or leave. Now."

Lin Dong and I shuddered and sat back down obediently. But he still snatched my Mapo tofu.

Fine. I’ll shatter your illusions further, I thought bitterly, and shot out my chopsticks like lightning...

After dinner, they discussed things outside. Yejia Yin walked me back to the hotel. She stayed next door but lingered in my room, seemingly uneasy.

"Don’t worry—go rest," I said, gently pushing her hand. But my pale face betrayed me.

What happened? Simple: I’d eaten too much spicy Mapo tofu and now had a stomachache.

Humans are like this: when you enjoy something alone, you don’t care. But if someone competes for it, you suddenly crave it uncontrollably.

Normally, I’d eat only a third of a plate of Mapo tofu. This time, I finished almost all of it. When Lin Dong reached for it, I even lifted the whole plate into my bowl.

Honestly, I acted childishly for two reasons: the competition made the dish taste better, and I wanted to shatter Lin Dong’s illusions after he insulted me.

Then I messed up. Back in my room, I collapsed onto the bed clutching my stomach, groaning "Ow, ow!"

Yejia Yin pulled painkillers from her suitcase and handed me a cup of hot water. Seeing her exasperated expression, guilt hit me. "Sorry."

If I ruined tomorrow’s important day because of this, Yejia Yin would be furious.

"Don’t worry about tomorrow," she said, setting down the refilled cup. "After your full transformation, all negative status effects clear. You’ll be fine."

Huh—clearing status effects? Relief washed over me. At least I hadn’t messed up anything vital. The pain now was bearable.

"Rest well. I’ll head over."

"Hmm... wait."

I stopped Yejia Yin as she turned to leave, looking at her pleadingly. "Your phone... can I borrow it for the night?"